North Korea Fires Ballistic Missile Over Japan, US Confirms “Ironclad Commitment To Defend” Allies

Update 4: The UN Security Council is set to met at 4am Saturday Seoul time (3pm ET on Friday)

*  *  *

Update 3: US Pacific Command has confirmed that its commitment to the defense of Japan and South Korea (via NBC News)

-----------------------------------------------------
It is my sincere desire to provide readers of this site with the best unbiased information available, and a forum where it can be discussed openly, as our Founders intended. But it is not easy nor inexpensive to do so, especially when those who wish to prevent us from making the truth known, attack us without mercy on all fronts on a daily basis. So each time you visit the site, I would ask that you consider the value that you receive and have received from The Burning Platform and the community of which you are a vital part. I can't do it all alone, and I need your help and support to keep it alive. Please consider contributing an amount commensurate to the value that you receive from this site and community, or even by becoming a sustaining supporter through periodic contributions. [Burning Platform LLC - PO Box 1520 Kulpsville, PA 19443] or Paypal

-----------------------------------------------------
To donate via Stripe, click here.
-----------------------------------------------------
Use promo code ILMF2, and save up to 66% on all MyPillow purchases. (The Burning Platform benefits when you use this promo code.)

U.S. Pacific Command detected and tracked what we assess was a single North Korean ballistic missile launch at 11:57 a.m. (Hawaii lime) Sept. 14. Initial assessment indicates the launch of an intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM). The launch occurred in the vicinity of Sunan, North Korea and flew east.

The ballistic missile overflew the territory of northern Japan before landing in the Pacific Ocean east of Japan. We are working with our interagency partners on a more detailed assessment and we will provide a public update if warranted.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) determined this ballistic missile did not pose a threat to North America, U.S. Pacific Command determined this ballistic missile did not pose a threat to Guam. We continue to monitor North Korea’s actions closely.

Our commitment to the defense of our allies, including the Republic of Korea and Japan, in the face of these threats, remains ironclad. We remain prepared to defend ourselves and our allies from any attack or provocation.

*  *  *

Update 2: Japanese and South Korean officials have started to respond:

Japanese officials are very unappy (and are seeing much support from their ally in Washington)

• *JAPAN PM ABE HAS RETURNED TO JAPAN FROM INDIA: KYODO (that was quick)
• *SUGA: N. KOREA LAUNCH WAS ONE-WAY ACT OF ESCALATION
• *SUGA: MISSILE FLEW 3,700 KM, ALTITUDE ABOUT 800KM
• *SUGA: BELIEVE MISSILE WASN’T LAUNCHED VIA LOFTED TRAJECTORY
• *SUGA: STILL EVALUATING WHAT TYPE OF MISSILE N.KOREA LAUNCHED

Then it seems the South Koreans are gravely coincerned about their stock market more than any existential threat to their citizens…

• *S. KOREA TO STRENGTHEN MONITORING OVER MARKETS ON N. KOREA RISK
• *S. KOREA SAYS N. KOREA PROVOCATION CAN DESTABILIZE MARKETS
• *S. KOREA GOVT TO TAKE FIRM AND SWIFT STEPS ON MARKETS IF NEEDED

And just as we saw yesterday – after US officials noted that North Korea appeared to be preparing for a launch, we suspect we will see Korea’s PPT in action soon…

*  *  *

Update 1:  According to Fox News, the U.S. has now confirmed the latest North Korean missile launch.

• U.S. OFFICIAL CONFIRMS #NORTHKOREA FIRED BALLISTIC MISSILE: FOX NEWS
• WHITE HOUSE SAYS TRUMP BRIEFED ON N.KOREA MISSILE: YONHAP NEWS

Gold and Yen are bid for now (after 3 NK headlines during the day)…

* * *

All the diplomatic posturing, the jawboning, the UN sanctions, and threats over the past three weeks has achieved absolutely nothing because as Yonhap and NHK report, North Korea has just launched an “unidentified” missile eastward from the capital Pyongyang.

A live feed from NHK in English is available after clicking on the image below:

According to Yonhap, “North Korea fired an unidentified missile eastward from the vicinity of Pyongyang this morning,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. It added that South Korea and the United States are analyzing additional information. On August 29, the North lobbed a Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile over the island nation in a similar provocation .

Following the launch Japan has issued a missile alert to mobile phones and on national television, with the government advising people outside to take shelter immediately.

Worse, it appears that the missile has once again flown over Japan:

• NORTH KOREA MISSILE PASSES OVER JAPAN, GOVT SAYS
• N.KOREA MISSILE PASSES OVER JAPAN’S HOKKAIDO, GOVT SAYS

As NHK further adds, the missile which was launched at 6:57am local time, passed over Hokkaido at 7:06am local time, and came down in the Pacific Ocean, some 2,000 KM east of Japan’s Erimo Misaki.

The launch marks the North’s first provocation following the UNSC sanctions for which the communist country has warned of retaliation.

The missile flew a total of 3,700 kilometers and reached an altitude of 770km, according to Yonhap, before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.

• NKOREA MISSILE MAY BE HWASONG 12, JP DEF OFFICIAL SAYS:TV ASAHI

Japan’s cabinet minister Suga said that the missile situation is similar to that on August 29, NHK adds, and that Japan will take appropriate response in contact with the US and South Korea. NHK adds that Japan did not attempt to shoot down the missile though the South Korean military has confirmed it fired a test missile into the sea as part of training drill.

The South’s presidential office Cheong Wa Dae immediately convened a National Security Council meeting, as the country’s troops conducted a ballistic missile training in the East Sea in response to the North’s latest provocation.

And now we await whether the US will finally escalate militarily, as Trump has threatened on countless occasions, or once again use even harsher, and more powerless, language hoping for a different outcome.